Menu

Turning the tide

The Brewers are off to an unimpressive start in the unofficial second half of the season. In two games against Colorado, the Brewers have scored a combined 3 runs, all three of them coming in the first game against angry Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. The Brew Crew was shut out last night against – you guessed it – a rookie. In only his ninth major league start, Juan Nicasio blanked the Brewers over seven innings, allowing only four hits. He even ended Ryan Braun’s 23-game hitting streak. Now, Nicasio is not a good pitcher. He was coming off a five-run, two inning drubbing against Atlanta, and sported a 4.91 ERA. But, the Brewers, as they often do, simply could not get anything going against a relatively inexperienced pitcher.

Zack Greinke gets the start tonight, the Brewers purported ace. If ever there was a time he needed to step up, this is it. As I’ve explained in the past, Greinke’s poor outings have generally been a combination of bad luck and poor defense, but he also occasionally leaves the ball up in the zone. That will not work at Coors Field. It’s up to both Greinke and the defense to turn the tide tonight. If they do, the Brewers offense shouldn’t need to do much to get a win.